American volunteers, both informally and through organizations like the Corporation for National Service, make huge contributions to the well-being of millions of Americans and, via their unpaid or minimally-reimbursed work, to the American economy. Can America continue to count on maintaining or increasing volunteer contributions in the future?…

Purpose: The purpose of this article was to review existing knowledge about assisted living (AL) use by traditionally underserved populations, including people of color, low-income people, and those living in rural communities. Design and Methods: We reviewed methodologies and findings of research on AL and residential care up to June 2004.…

The aging population of the world has dramatically been increasing thereby creating the need to assess and address the emotional feelings of the elderly. The intent of this qualitative study was to capture the essence or the lebenswelt of the Filipino elderly's sense of belongingness. This was accomplished by capitalizing on the power of conscious…

The rapidly growing aging population highlights the need for social workers trained in gerontological practice and interested in work with older adults. This study, conducted in two southern states, examined recent social work graduates' perceptions of aging-related work and identified factors influencing their employment in aging related jobs.…

A network model for the organization of the elderly for self-help and the development of leadership is described. The model is recommended as the most appropriate for those concerned with organizing all types of elderly, even if only minimally, on a large scale, for a sustained period of time. (Author)

The results from this study indicate that ready-to-wear garments do not accommodate the clothing needs of elderly women; garments do not allow for increased trunk girth, decreased height, or physical impairments. (Author)

Voluntary and nonvoluntary retirees were compared to determine individual factors that led to a voluntary or nonvoluntary decision to retire and impact of that decision on retirement attitudes and satisfaction. Health status and preretirement feelings about retirement were more significant predictors of retirement attitudes and satisfaction than…

This paper explores some social, situational, and personal factors associated with remarriage in old age, and focuses on role changes associated with remarriage. The findings were obtained through in-depth interviews with 24 remarried elderly couples. Remarriage is seen as a viable option in old age, deserving attention and encouragement. (Author)

The four papers of this symposium on social psychology and gerontology are critically discussed: Babchuk on primary relations; Shaver on attribution theory; Marris on conservation and innovation; and Lieberman on adaptation. (Author)

To successfully practice geriatrics, one must keep up-to-date with rapidly evolving knowledge, recognize heterogeneity among older people, seek answers through longitudinal studies, and accept no symptoms nor loss of function as being simply old age. Functional loss must be the focus and thus rehabilitation is essential to good geriatric care.…

Assessed the widely accepted estimate that an elderly individual faces a 25-percent risk of institutionalization in a long-term care facility. Using national data and a life table method of estimation, it is shown that the elderly individual's risk of institutionalization approaches and may exceed 50 percent. (JAC)

The authors estimate a retirement equation with multiple outcome categories to show, first, that self-reported partial retirement is relatively common among White males aged 58 to 69. Second, results from retirement equations specified with dichotomous dependent variables are shown to be sensitive to whether the partially retired are categorized…

Discusses potential uses of microcomputers for older adults including educational uses, record keeping, leisure activities and games, home employment, and intergenerational contacts. Research is needed on the attitudes of the elderly toward computers in terms of job opportunities and continuing education. (JAC)